Expert Answers in Ceramic and Porcelain Tile

There is no standard for whether a tile should sound hollow or not, or do what degree.   A hollow sound can mean the tile, or a portion of the tile, is not bonded or…

ANSWER – Optical Hazing is a distortion condition that is found on some polished ceramic tile surfaces.  The distortion is invisible under normal lighting and only noticeable when illuminated by light coming in from the side…

ANSWER –  First of all, tile applications installed on shower walls should not bow or crack.   What you describe sounds like it is a shrinkage problem in the floated wall mortar bed.  You didn’t…

ANSWER –  If most or all of the grout joints are low, it is possible to fill them, but it may not be practical.  Epoxy grouts can be applied very thin, but the existing grout has…

ANSWERS – it is not acceptable to spot bond tiles on floors.  For residential dry area applications, tiles are suppose to have at least 80% thin-set contact with full support at all edges and corners.…

ANSWER – First you need to make sure you are using a non-sanded grout, which is necessary for grout joint widths less than 1/8″ wide or the grout won’t fit in.  Sanded grout could scratch…

ANSWER – I believe what you are describing is a condition called Tile Tenting.

Ceramic tiles, particularly those that are more absorptive, will expand when subjected to heat or moisture.  If the tile installation doesn’t…

ANSWER – Peel & Stick Crack Isolation membranes can cause the tiles to sound different than if they were installed directly over a concrete slab.

Although all of the tiles installed over the same substrate…

ANSWER – It is possible to grout over existing grout if there is enough depth to do so.

1/8 inch depth may or may not be adequate depending on the type of grout used.

A…

ANSWER – Sanded cementitious grout has sand in it.  There is a chance that grout was not as hard as it should be and when it was cleaned it caused the grout to degrade to…